• where:  western Columbia County, NY.

• 49 miles, moderate hilliness (2600 vertical feet, hill index 3.1) 

66 miles with Major Variation D to visit Kinderhook + Chatham.

• mapping:  digital mapping resources + GPS . . .

A) W Taghkanic - Hudson [bhve20a] : on Bikely | Google Earth KML | GPX

B) Claverack - W Taghkanic [bhve20b] : on Bikely | Google Earth KML | GPX

• highlights:  Embraces the variety of western Columbia County.  From corn fields and dirt roads to the streets of Columbia's biggest city.  From horses and orchards to the Athens lighthouse out in the Hudson River -- and several big views of the Catskills.  Optional side trips to the famous Olana artist's view and mansion, or cross the Rip Van Winkle bridge and wetlands.   

• characteristics:  Moderate hilliness.  About 2 miles on dirt (easily avoided).  On the main route, traffic interaction is higher than for most routes on this website.  

Hill climbs:  Total uphill climbing is about 2600 vertical feet.  Longest climb is about 150 vertical feet, including 75 feet at over 8% grade.  Also several 100-foot climbs, two of which have 75-foot sections at around 7.5% -- the rest are mostly under 6% grade.  (see Measuring Hilliness)

Traffic:  The main route has about 9 miles of high-speed and/or high-volume motor vehicle traffic.  Also about 6 miles of moderate traffic.  The rest of the road segments often have low traffic. 

The reason for so much on high-speed and/or high-volume roads is because that's the only way to get to some of the interesting sights along the Hudson River.  Most of these roads had reasonable shoulders as of September 2006, and with our skills and risk profile we have felt comfortable riding on them a number of times over the years.  

see [ Road Condition Reports ] and [ Trip Reports ]

• warning:  roads change -- but we have not checked much of the main route since the date below.

And it might have been a longer time since some of the Variations of the route were last checked by us.  Some roads and intersections might be different since then, or closed -- so be prepared to find alternatives -- a good reason to carry a detailed map. Other people may have more recent experiences with parts of the route which could help prepare: see the Reports page linked below.

Route not checked by us since 2009 -- learn more | see Reports

• warning:  Riding a bicycle on roads has dangers and risks that need to be taken seriously.  For more on those, see our page on risks.

Cue Sheet | Map of route | Trip Reports | Road Condition Reports 

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more . . . 

• directions to Start in West Taghkanic: 

From the South or North:  Take the Taconic State Parkway to the Route 82 exit (a little north of Lake Taghkanic State Park), then West on Route 82 a short ways. 

From the West and New York Thruway:  Take Thruway Exit 21 at Catskill.  Take Route 23 East across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge (toll).  After the bridge, bear left to stay on Route 23 East and go about 5 miles.  When Route 23 turns Left, continue onto Route 82 and go southeast for almost another 5 miles, and West Taghkanic is just before the Taconic Parkway.  (Or just park in Catskill and bicycle across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to join the route at mile 11.7).

Alternate starts:  Hudson, Claverack, Catskill. 

• maps:  You should have a detailed road map of Columbia County to do this route (see Maps).  See also digital mapping + GPS resources above.

• connections to other routes: 

Livingston Orchards and Farms -- Out-bound:  from the West end of Schneider Rd, turn L on Rt 9 South [HH], then L on CC Rt 19 to start of route.  In-bound:  In variation A of "Livingston", CC Rt 14 is part of this route.  

Grand Tour of Columbia County -- Out-bound:  CC Rt 14 is part of both routes.  In-bound:  Use the Southeast Columbia finish; or when on Rt 82 near the end of "Grand Tour", continue S to this route's Finish point. 

Wandering Northwest Columbia -- Out-bound:  Continue on CC Rt 22 East, then turn L on Letter S Rd.  In-bound:  From the "Northwest" finish in Ghent, continue South on Rt 66, L onto CC Rt 9, T-R on Rt 217 West. 

Farms and Hills of Southeast Columbia -- both routes share the same Start point. 

Cue Sheet | Map of route | Trip Reports | Road Condition Reports 

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